It has been gorgeous Friday here in sunny Austin, Texas at a nice 65-70 degrees. It’s only fair to give props when props are due, especially since I have used this blog to gritch about the oppressive heat last summer, which ended yesterday I think.

So! Onto the real reason I brought you here:

Did you know that you peeps only have like two weeks left to get your proposals in to present at Pulse? I know you all have an IBM story to tell. Maybe you don’t think anyone would want to hear it or maybe you are concerned that you don’t have time to prepare. Or maybe you just don’t think that there is good reason to bother.

Nonsense, I say to thee!

First of all, this offer isn’t just for high-ranking executives or big business partners. We also need the folks who actually hands-on run the stuff we sell your company. Does it work? Did it get you out of a fix? Did it prevent you from being in a fix? Did it save more money than it cost? That sort of thing.

And thirdly, do you realize what an opportunity this is? You will be immortalized!

Seriously, we promote the heck out of the good stuff people say at Pulse. Why on earth wouldn’t we? We might even interview you on camera (if you let us) and put you on our YouTube channel and Tweet, Facebook, and of course blog about you. Client presentations from Pulse are wildly popular. My colleagues ping me weekly with, “I need So-and-So’s presentation from Pulse 2009 for a meeting with [client, executive, press, you fill in the blank]!” We’ll make you famous (sort of).

Here are some more goodies for our speakies:

One full conference pass ($1995 value).*

Use of our exclusive Client Speaker VIP Lounge.

Networking opportunities with over 5000 industry experts, press and analysts.

A profile of your success story in the Pulse agenda/curriculum guide.

EAM papers are eligible for the Maximo best practices award.

What are you waiting for? The deadline is November 2 and the clock is ticking!

Hoping to capitalize on some clever Internet trend or hilarious current event for my next blog, I discovered something called the Top 20 Marketing Trends of 2009 on Google. This list managed to be both dull yet somewhat intriguing all at once. Dull because it was a list, which I find inherently boring. Intriguing because I wanted to see just how “on” it’s predictions were. Did it predict what was obviously already a trend, or did it predict something altogether fresh that emerged in March or June?

The truth is, I don’t know because I never made it past trend #1: Recession Marketing. The author writes,

“Expect a lot of marketing messaging related to the recession. Don’t be surprised to see lots of offers that “save you money” throughout the year. With fewer purchasing dollars available, how will your marketing message be distinctive and stand out?”

I confess that the word “Recession” kinda makes me shudder. It’s like the Bogeyman. Spooky and invisible. Now that I have your attention, Recession seems to say, let me infect you with anxiety and paralyze you with pessimism.

On the other hand, the Recession has inspired all of us to pause and ponder our situation. It is always wise to think, but thoughts alone never saved nor earned a penny and the only thing we have to fear is fear itself, right?

So let’s give the Bogeyman the boot!

If you are managing a dynamic infrastructure as executive leadership, security, operations, storage, production, delivery, facilities or communications service, the way to do this is to reduce cost and risk to the business and amp up the service quality and delivery. You probably already knew that, but did you know that IBM Service Management can provide the visibility, control, and automation for your business to lead a successful transition through the recession?

Where to Begin

Pulse 2010 will be THE epic mashup of education, innovation and networking around service management. If you only choose one event in 2010, Pulse is the one you can’t afford to miss where you will learn new, proven ways of deploying service management solutions, which could have an ROI benefit 10 times higher than the conference cost.

Immediate Savings,Options and Deadlines

The most valuable opportunities to get started with this business of reducing costs and improving service are only available for a few more weeks. And since you, loyal customers, keep telling us that your top priority is to figure out ways to preserve capital and cut operational expenses, this is one opportunity you must not let pass.

Free Admission to Pulse: Clients Speakers attend FREE. We are accepting your proposals until November 2. Submit a 100-word abstract of your successful application of service management here.

Save up to $600 on Pulse:Register by November 16 and save $500 on a full conference badge for the Premier Service Management Event. Register as part of a group of 5 or more from the same organization and save an additional $100!

If your management needs more proof that Pulse is a wise investment, fill out this Business Justification Form and present them with the facts.

Get thee to Pulse and we can all say bye-bye to this notion of Recession Marketing and the Bogeyman.